We arrived one winter morning at Endine. The lake was frozen. The air sharp and cold. The welcome warm. Within moments of stepping inside, one of the young men offered us coffee on a proper tray. The smile of the mother of the household, the kindness of everyone around us—we felt truly received as guests in a home. We shared lunch with the whole family and savored the atmosphere of a large, close-knit household full of life and genuine affection.
The directors of the house, Venerio and Vittoria Arosio, tell the story of how it came to be.
"We have three children: Laura, 27; Maurizio, 26; and Luisa, 24. Both Laura and Luisa sustained brain injuries. For years, we asked ourselves what would become of them after they left the rehabilitation center. What kind of future would they have? What kind of life?
We wanted to do something. We wanted to find a solution that felt right to us.
Laura and Luisa had spent years at the rehabilitation center of La Nostra Famiglia (1). We owned a house in the mountains that we often made available to their young people for holidays. For a long time, we had been active with the Association of Parents.
We believed deeply that the family is the foundation of a better society. Gradually, an idea grew in us—a vision of a communal home.
The ANA (National Alpine Association) had built a large, beautiful house here at Endine, meant for people with disabilities. After several failed attempts to use it, La Nostra Famiglia took it over. Knowing our vision, they entrusted it to us seven years ago.
We had to begin. We had to act. We left our region, Brianza. I left my work—a woodworking business I ran with my brothers. We came here to Endine with our children and opened our home to other young adults—boys and girls without families, or from difficult family situations. There are now ten residents here, plus our two daughters, all with mild intellectual disabilities.
Maurizio, who will soon marry, lives with us. He works as a teacher in a nearby town and helps out here in whatever time remains. We are supported by four paid staff members and three conscientious objectors.
How do we live? Through our work. With pride and good will, the young people here earn their own living alongside us. We have an assembly workshop—toys and plastic goods, ribbon for Olivetti machines, and the like. We have a leather workshop and a woodworking shop. We raise rabbits and chickens. We do some market gardening.
The young people rotate through different jobs. Each one works and gives what they can, according to their abilities. This means no one gets bored doing the same task day after day. Every evening, we all gather together. We share with one another. We make decisions as a community. We discuss our plans. And above all, we pray. This is the most important moment of the day. It is what allows us to persevere, to resolve the tensions and difficulties that exist in any household.
We try to organize weekends and vacations as a community, but we also encourage each person to have other experiences—work camps, camping trips, retreats. We do what all parents do for their children. The mountains—our passion—play an important role in our free time. We take real hiking trips, everyone participating, in both winter and summer.
We are a normal family, open to welcoming others, expanded to include volunteers who share a new way of living founded on understanding, solidarity, and mutual help. We are a concrete response—one meant to endure—to the struggle faced by young people with disabilities who lack family support as they try to find their place in a world built almost entirely on efficiency, productivity, and dynamism. What we have created, we believe, is an ideal environment for each person in our community to grow, mature, and develop their full humanity."
We were sorry we could not stay the night in the beds prepared for us, to spend more time with our new friends. We left with the feeling of having visited people we had known for years. We left with the joy of having discovered a "family-home" exactly as we wish there were many more throughout Italy. We left with the hope that other parents will roll up their sleeves, and with them, many other friends.
(1) La Nostra Famiglia is an association inspired by Gospel principles that works for the social rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Since 1947, it has operated in Italy in this specific sector. It manages 30 rehabilitation centers; it founded the Association of Parents, the Friends Group, family homes, and guided work centers. For more information: http://lnf.cilea.it/index.php/it/
Casa Alpini
Administrative Structure
Casa Alpini is a section of La Nostra Famiglia. By statute, the Board of Directors includes members of the Association, members of the ANA, and members of the local community. The Association provides Casa Alpini with a medical, psychological, and social team.
The friends who collaborate include:
- members of the ANA, which provided the house and is always ready to help in various ways;
- the group "Friends of La Nostra Famiglia," which has supported the house from the beginning in many ways;
- the Community of Endine, which has learned to know, accept, and help the members of the house;
- the Association of Parents of La Nostra Famiglia, which supports this project with enthusiasm and conviction.
The House
It is large; up to twenty people can sleep there. Bedrooms have two or three beds. Staff and young people share rooms. The dining room has an enormous table. In the modern, clean, spacious kitchen, everyone takes turns with daily tasks. In the common room, people can rest and relax after meals, as they wish. In the evening, the community gathers for prayer and shared reflection. The workshops are partly attached to the house, partly a short distance away.
The Community
The Arosios are the directors and animators of the community. The young people are referred by La Nostra Famiglia; they average 21 years of age, boys and girls, self-sufficient. The "assistants" are mostly students with training in pedagogy or social work. The conscientious objectors are more or less volunteers—a situation not without its challenges.
The Local Community
Casa Alpini is well integrated into the local community, in which it participates, especially through parish activities and school programs. It also serves people in the town who are in need, collaborating with the center for elderly persons.
Financial Support
Income comes from:
- the work of the residents
- contributions from the Lombardy Region and agencies responsible for social services
- gifts from friends
— Nicole Schulthes, 1987